A home with the luxury of a five-star resort in Sharm El-Sheikh? Tempting, writes Rasha Sadek Think of this: a home away from home. The idea of owning an alternative retreat for your residence, with cozy touch, style and comfort. This is the programme Hilton Sharm Dreams Vacation Club has designed in the top notch resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. In the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula lies the outstanding Red Sea escape of Sharm El- Sheikh, one of the top tourist destinations on the world map. Sharm has attracted all nationalities with its luxurious five-star hotel chains, best diving sites ever and unique marine life, natural protectorates, Bedouin trips and long-range safaris to Dahab, Saint Catherine's, the Coloured Canyon and Abu Galoum. Sharm El- Sheikh does not fail to provide a glorious night life as well; the city turns into a virtual giant disco at night. Amidst this paradise, the Hilton Sharm Dreams Resort decided to set up its first Vacation Club in the Middle East. Not to be confused with time-share, the Holiday Ownership concept allows for purchasing a home at the Hilton Dreams for 30 years, a week or more a year and can also be traded in any of the 2,500 Hilton hotels and resorts worldwide. A Bonus for the holiday ownership, says Ahmed Talaat, from the Hilton Dreams Vacation Club, "is that it allows the owner to use any of the Hilton chain worldwide, not only in coastal areas but in city centres too". So whether you will be shopping in Dubai, canoeing around the Oahu Island in Hawaii, romancing in the Maldives, or golfing in sight of the Pyramids in Egypt, it will all start with owning a second home at Hilton Sharm Dreams. Only then, would you have purchased a holiday home on wheels which you can take every year to a new location. Not only that but the flexibility of the programme entails owners to rent their unit, gift it, sell it or bequeath it to their heirs. Another privilege is that owners can actually borrow their week(s) from the following year or postpone them to the next, and of course split them throughout the year. The sheer pleasure of regularly returning to a familiar and well-loved place is not a passing everyday experience. During my first-ever stay at the Hilton Dreams, I developed a sense of belonging. The hotel, built on a vast area of land close to the white sandy beach of Neama bay, makes for an exquisite vacation; especially with the extended greenery and subtle ambiance of calm. Accommodation units at the Hilton Dreams are luxuriously homey. With studios and apartments that sleep up to eight, a lounge area with 29 satellite TV channels, VCR, hi- fi, a kitchenette with microwave, a mini-fridge, a coffeemaker and a dinning table, isn't this home or what? Not to mention the terrace overlooking the sparkling sea. Correct me if I am wrong but that's my vision of a happy place. Privacy for owners at the Hilton Dreams Vacation Club is absolute. Two pools and 95 villas -- taken care of and maintained weekly -- are separated from the resort, but provided with all other facilities and services available; seven pools, three restaurants catering to just about every cuisine, two bars, beauty and health centre and casino. Exclusive to only owners are a clubhouse, spa, health club and a restaurant. Moreover, the Hilton Dreams decided to give parents a breather. With two playgrounds, a kids club and two shallow pools, children are guaranteed the utmost fun. The 400m-long beach -- the longest in Neama bay is safe from rough corals, because of the soft sand sprayed above rocks and reefs. Among the near future plans for children and adults is constructing the biggest aqua park in the Middle East inside the Hilton Sharm Dreams resort, show casing a dolphin show. It will be completed in 2006. It must be for a reason that the Hilton International Grand Vacation Company chose this city for its first vacation club in the Middle East. For the past 11 years I, for one, have made sure that Sharm El-Sheikh is a destination planned for at least twice a year. And I never had to worry whether it was any of the four seasons; the weather is delightfully the same; sunny, breezy and swim-inviting. Ever if you are not a diver, an amateur snorkeler would enjoy the underwater experience all the same. And say you are hydrophobic and can not get your feet wet. That's no excuse for not taking pleasure from watching multi-coloured schools of fish. A glass boat trip will take you around the coral reefs in the waters of Neama Bay till the site of the Near Garden, the richest snorkelling spot in the bay. And here's a little tip: the Napoleon fish are the biggest in the bay -- as long as a man -- and there are only two in the bay, a must-see. They are black with grey spots and a huge mouth. Make sure you book 12- 2pm trips because that's when they usually show up. In Sharm El-Sheikh, a city that can sell itself just by using its name, is Neama Bay, the heart of the city. Neama's promenade is packed with a cocktail of nationalities all year round. Aligning the promenade are restaurants which entertain their guests with live shows, be they oriental or foreign, such as Russian. Not to mention the shopping malls and bazaars, the style of which are unmatched. Sharm El-Sheikh has built its fame on diving. With rich snorkeling and diving sites such as Ras Mohamed and the spots around the islands of Sanafir and Tiran -- the corals of which haven't yet lost their virginity -- hours spent in the underwater paradise of the Red Sea make for an unforgettable experience. "Old Sharm" or the souq, previously not an eye-catcher for tourists, is now a smaller version of the lively Neama Bay. A stretch of cafés like Al-Pasha allows the opportunity to watch multi-coloured life pass by. The Thai House, a restaurant next to Tiran Centre mall, views the souq and if your favourite plate is fish, the Red Sea Fish restaurant presents a delicious sea food menu. So if you frequent Sharm El-Sheikh, make sure you put the souq on your list of musts. With every year Sharm city renews itself; boredom is not an option. If you stay awake around the clock, I guarantee your night and day will be filled with things to do. Trust me, I have been there. As you'll enjoy the serenity of the azure waters by day, you'll go loud and crazy at night. Sharm turns to Las Vegas at night with numerous discotheques, pubs and casinos. And here is another charming aspect of Sharm El-Sheikh: Bedouin adventures. On the city's outskirts is Wadi Al-Aat, where most short desert excursions take place -- camel trekking, quadrunning and horseback riding followed by starlit dinners. Thirty minutes into the desert by jeep or bus and you reach the valley. And there, before you, stands Echo Mountain. In several areas you can hear your voice as it ricochets back and forth through the huge space. Take your pick from trips organised by booths scattered in Neama Bay and hotels, and choose whether you will be adventuring with Bedouins during sunrise or sunset -- the two are equally magical. Make sure though you don't miss out on drinking Bedouin habak tea, ( habak is a mint-like herb that grows in the Sinai desert in winter. It is then mashed with tea and boiled on coal). The desert- dwelling nomads of Sinai bring to mind evocative images of shifting sands, folk music, flowing robes and the long, loping stride of the camel. Such images steal you away from Cairo's bustling life to a world of simplicity and purity. Accommodation in Sharm El- Sheikh is flexible. Whatever your budget is, you can fix yourself a good stay in five-star chains like the Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton and Hilton or hotels of lesser stars -- down to one -- or camps. But as I was listening to Talaat from the Vacation Club, I glimpsed a good deal in the horizon. Paying a reasonable sum of money for 30 years of luxury is a once in a life time opportunity. "Of the advantages of the Hilton's Holiday Ownership," Talaat Said, "is that you skip the hassle of bookings and reservations. You also avoid the annual price rise in holiday accommodation and enjoy your 30th year vacation with today's rates." Convincing, isn't it? If all that Sharm has doesn't make you wish for a repeat visit, I don't know what will. As I got up mulling the idea over, three guests were closing the deal with the Vacation Club.
